Marin births rebound after decline during pandemic
Increase in county faster than the national average
The number of births in Marin declined in 2020 during the pandemic, as it did nationally, but births in the county have rebounded faster than the national average.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of babies born in the U.S. dropped by 4% in 2020 compared with the previous year. There were 1,220 babies delivered at MarinHealth Medical Center, the only hospital in the county that delivers babies, in 2020, compared with 1,233 in 2019, a drop of about 1%.
Dr. David Hoffman, a pediatric specialist at MarinHealth Medical Center, said that during the last quarter of 2020 the number of births at the hospital rose 3.3% compared to the final quarter of 2019, while the national birth rate dropped 6% during the same period.
“Year to date, we’re actually up 13% compared to 2020,” Hoffman said.
But while the overall number of Marin births appears to be on the rise, the percentage of births to Latino parents is declining at the hospital.
So far this year, 30% of births at the hospital were to Latino parents. The percentage was 38% in 2020, 39% in 2019, 40% in 2018 and 42% in 2017.
The percentage of births to White parents at the hospital fluctuated between 41% and 42% from 2017 to 2020, but so far this year 46% of births have been to White parents. The percentage of births to Black parents has remained constant at 2%.
Hoffman said the decline in the Latino birth percentages is somewhat surprising, given that Marin’s Latino population is younger than its White population.
Hoffman said the anomaly might be because more White mothers from outside the county choosing to deliver at the hospital
because of its new hospital wing, which opened in October.
Kathryn Hogarth, who gave birth to twin boys at the hospital on April 28, said, “My room had an incredible view of Hal Brown Park.”
Hogarth’s pregnancy spanned some of the darkest days of the pandemic.
“It was at a point where there were still a lot of unknowns, fear and anxiety were really high,” said the Terra Linda resident. “I pretty much did not leave the house. I was definitely afraid.”
While Hogarth was able to see her doctors, her husband was not allowed to accompany her to appointments.
“Including the one where they told me I was having twins,” Hogarth said.
And Hogarth had to wear a mask throughout her 12 hours of labor.
“That was tough,” she said.
Despite some early reservations, Hogarth chose to be vaccinated prior to her delivery after consulting with several doctors she trusted.
Dr. Kirsten Voss, an obstetrician/gynecologist affiliated with MarinHealth, said the hospital doesn’t require mothers delivering there to be vaccinated.
“But we strongly recommend it,” Voss said. “There is a lot of data now that shows there is a benefit to being vaccinated before pregnancy. There is no evidence that it impacts fertility or has an adverse impact on pregnancy.”
Voss said that earlier in the pandemic many mothers who delivered at MarinHealth had tested positive for COVID-19. Two who became critically ill had to be transferred to University of California, San Francisco. Both survived.
Voss said most of the infected mothers were only mildly symptomatic.
“So sometimes they might need some additional oxygen,” she said, “but the vast majority of women who were COVIDpositive and presented in labor did quite well without requiring a lot of medical intervention.”
Voss said coronavirus doesn’t pass from mother to baby inside the uterus.
“But it can be transmitted from mom to baby after the baby is born,” she said, “even though we have found that risk is quite low.”
Hoffman said, “Nationally, the statistics don’t show significant risk to babies being born to moms who have COVID. In fact the recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics is not to prevent a mother who is COVID positive from rooming in with their baby or from breast-feeding.”
Voss sees a couple of reasons for the recent uptick in births at MarinHealth Medical Center.
She said earlier in the pandemic, when Marin residents were ordered to shelter at home, women who were receiving or seeking fertility treatments had to put their efforts on hold. They are now free to proceed.
In addition, Voss said, “At the beginning of the pandemic, not many people opted to get pregnant. People are feeling more comfortable again with the idea of having a baby.”